The cast in 1965 and 2013
2/05/2021 UPDATE
Christopher Plummer passed away February 5, 2021 at age 91
Healther Menzies passed away 2017 at age 68
Charmain Carr passed away 2016 at age 73
Eleanor Parker passed away 2013 at age 91
(left to right):
Kym Karath (Gretl), Debbie Turner (Marta), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Duane Chase (Kurt), Heather Menzies (Louisa), Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich), Charmain Carr (Leisl), Julie Andrews (Maria), Christopher Plummer (Captain Von Trapp)
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Posted by David Ferguson
Anyone with an affection for Alfred Hitchcock movies is well aware of his proclivity for personal cameos … often just a quick glimpse of the great director. He actually makes some type of appearance in 39 of his 52 movies, and the video below edits them together for a 5 minute look … starting with the 1927 silent films. My personal favorites of these Hitch cameos have always been Lifeboat (1944), Strangers on a Train (1951), and The Birds (1963).
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Posted by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. We never really know how one person can influence our life. In the late 1970’s I stumbled upon a PBS show called “Sneak Previews”. In those days, we only had 3 network channels and PBS (Fox did not exist, and neither did cable), so the cheesy yet catchy opening to the show really caught my eye. And then the magic started. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert began discussing, analyzing, and even arguing about movies. I was mesmerized. These men were making sense of all the garbled thoughts going on in my own mind in regards to movies. Their televised verbal jousting provided the outlet I had unknowingly craved.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were film critics for cross-town rival newspapers, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times. In 1975, they started a show for the local PBS affiliate. It was called “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You” and was an immediate hit in Chicago. Soon enough the awful title was changed to “Sneak Previews” and other PBS stations across the country began to pick up the show. Tribune 
Entertainment recognized the potential, and in 1982 syndicated the show nationally as “At the Movies”, and after a contract dispute, they signed with Disney for “Siskel & Ebert and the Movies”. This show ran until Gene Siskel’s death (brain tumor) in 1999. That is the background, but certainly not the story.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert taught me (and others) how to watch movies … how to think about movies … how to discuss and debate movies. Their passion for movies was undeniable and contagious. It was a common link we shared … maybe even a curse. Some people can watch a movie and be entertained – satisfied that it’s an escape from everyday life. Those of us afflicted with the movie curse tend to be absorbed by the cinematic experience. We need to analyze why a specific camera angle was used, why the volume of the musical score was bumped for a scene, what was the motivating factor for the disloyalty shown by lead character’s best friend, and how does this fit in with the history of films that have come before. We the afflicted make no apologies for our obsessions. It’s just who we are. Siske and Ebert not only shared this condition, they guided us through the process of dealing with it. They showed us that what mattered was emotion and passion. There was no right and wrong in how a movie impacted us.
Roger Ebert’s lasting impact on me may be best understood by the fact that I more often sided with Gene Siskel in my movie preferences and opinions. Ebert did not “like” some of my favorites such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Usual Suspects, Full Metal Jacket. Yet, Ebert’s arguments were so well articulated that he mentored me not just in movie opinions, but in general debate. The other guy can disagree with you and not necessarily be wrong! It was a life lesson, not just a lesson in movie criticism. This also explains how Ebert (a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1975) was able to take the influence of Pauline Kael, the famous film critic of The New Yorker, and make movie reviews accessible for the mainstream public. Ms. Kael had long been worshipped by the New York pseudo-intellectuals, and certainly she was a brilliant writer, but her approach was never really about the love of movies in the way that Roger Ebert’s was.
Ebert’s life lessons did not end there. After Gene Siskel died, Ebert never missed an opportunity to speak highly of his former TV partner … always praising him for his integrity and love of film. When cancer first struck Ebert in 2002, he took it head on and was outfront in his battle. In 2006, his battle took a turn for the worse, and a portion of his jaw was removed. It was a dramatic physical change to someone we had shared time with for 30 years. Still, he didn’t hide away. He continued to make public appearances, determined not to be a recluse. Ebert fully embraced the power of the internet and became an influencer through Facebook, Twitter and most effectively, his blogging. The man was a prolific writer with more than 7200 published reviews, 38 published books and an unspecified number of blogs and tweets. Again, our opinions often clashed, but we never doubted where he stood on an issue.
Martin Scorcese is producing a documentary called Life Itself. It is based on Ebert’s memoirs of the same title, and Roger had remained very involved in the process. The filmmakers have already stated that the project will be finished and will premiere later this year. It will be a fitting tribute … a movie about the man who was about movies. I hope it gets “two thumbs up”.
I would encourage you to read this interview/profile from Esquire magazine published in 2010. It’s the best I’ve read on Mr. Ebert.
http://www.esquire.com/features/roger-ebert-0310
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Posted by David Ferguson
Roger Ebert, the best known contemporary film critic has passed away. I will have more to say on his career and impact.
Roger Ebert (1942-2013)
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Posted by David Ferguson
This is a step outside the comfort zone for this site, but some of these historical photos are so unique that sharing seemed to be the unquestioned right thing to do. Since there is a shot of brothers Walt and Roy opening the Disney Studios, I believe the commitment to movies remains intact. The link comes courtesy of Dallas based legal powerbroker Robert Elder and his charming and intelligent daughter, Lauren.
Just a couple of notes in regards to some specific photos:
* Einstein at the beach was NOT photoshopped
* There is no truth to the rumor that the Grateful Dead had a gig interrupted by the 1906 fire/earthquake in San Francisco
* The Astor Theatre in 1911 Time Square was razed in 1982 to make room for the Marriott Hotel and Marquis Theatre
* Willard Scott was even more frightening as Ronald McDonald than as a weatherman
* The 1957 Beatles picture was actually just John, Paul and George hanging out. John and Paul played together in The Quarrymen, but George didn’t join until 1958. After a couple of other name changes, The Beatles were officially formed in 1960.
* The 1912 World Series had the Boston Red Sox beating the New York Giants, 4 games to 3. They actually played 8 games in the series, as one game ended in a tie.
* In regards to the 1975 photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton, rumor has it that Bill nicknamed the volleyball Monica, and Hillary decided to look the other way.
* The group photo showing a 14 year old Osama bin Laden leaves you wondering what career paths were pursued by the others.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger’s citizenship photo looks like it was taken at an audition for Myra Breckenridge (another movie reference)
Enjoy this unique look back:
http://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2013/03/rare-historical-photos-2446226.html
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Posted by David Ferguson
March 12, 2013
TMI: Today’s Movie Info
Director Steven Soderbergh is putting the finishing touches on Behind the Candelabra, an HBO film based on the story of Liberace and his partner of 6 years, Scott Thorson. The film airs May 26 and stars Michael Douglas (yes, that’s him in the Entertainment Weekly cover photo) as the flamboyant performer known for his extravagant costumes. Matt Damon will play Thorson. In typical Hollywood fashion, Mr. Douglas is older now than Liberace was when he died in 1987. Thorson was a teenager when he first met Liberace, and 24 when he filed his 1982 lawsuit. While Matt Damon is a young looking 42, very few would confuse him for a twenty-something. Debbie Reynolds, who once appeared on Liberace’s TV show, will play his mother. No trailer is available yet.
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Posted by David Ferguson
March 7, 2012
TMI: Today’s Movie Info
It’s well known that the iconic poster from The Graduate (1967) featured not the stockinged legs of the movie’s star Anne Bancroft, but rather those of a 27 year old model named Linda Gray. Of course, Ms. Gray went on to star as Sue Ellen Ewing in the hit TV series “Dallas”. What’s not common knowledge is Ms. Gray’s claim that she was paid a whopping $25 for the modeling job that produced the poster. Ironically, years later, she went on to star as Mrs Robinson in the London stage version of “The Graduate”.
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Posted by David Ferguson
Director Sam Raimi has a quasi pre-quel to the classic 1939 The Wizard of Oz opening nationwide on Friday March 8. Because of production rights, Mr. Raimi was limited to the source material from L Frank Baum’s book and not allowed to borrow from the film. His cast includes James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz. I won’t spoil the surprise of who is the Wicked Witch this time around, but just for fun, let’s compare the witches from the original to witches in this version.
The great Margaret Hamilton played the dual roles of the Wicked Witch of the West and Miss Gulch:
Here are the photos of the three witches in Oz the Great and Powerful
I’ll leave it to you to decide what the difference might be.
Here is the trailer:
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Posted by David Ferguson
“Seth MacFarlane was awesome!” “Seth MacFarlane sucks!” “Who is Seth MacFarlane?”
No matter which of the above reactionary groups you fall into, the members of the Academy are beside themselves with happiness today. You might ask why. The simple answer is RATINGS! TV Ratings in the coveted 18-49 demo jumped up 19% over last year. However, since you and I are not in the TV ratings business, it’s more fun to discuss The Oscars from our perspective as viewers and movie lovers.
As previously stated in my Oscar Predictions, outside of a couple of “no brainers”, this was a particularly difficult year to predict. No single movie was positioned to “run the table” and in fact, nine different films were named winners in 18 different categories featuring wide releases. Life of Pi led the way with 4 Oscars; Argo and Les Miserables had three each; Lincoln, Django Unchained, and Skyfall had two apiece; and Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty and Anna Karenina each had one. Bruce, a loyal and informed blog follower from San Antonio, pointed out the rare result of a different film winning for each of the “Big 6” categories: Best Picture (Argo), Best 
Director (Life of Pi), Best Actor (Lincoln), Best Actress (Silver Linings Playbook), Supporting Actor (Django Unchained), Supporting Actress (Les Miserables). Given all of this, I feel quite satisfied with correctly predicting 19 of the 24 categories.
In addition to host Seth MacFarlane, also new to the Oscar presentation were show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. They were Executive Producers on Best Picture winner Chicago (2002). There was an awkward pre-show opening with Chicago star Queen Latifah, followed by a bizarre gag with William Shatner appearing from the future as Captain Kirk from Star Trek … evidently the purpose of which was to make advance apologies for a weak show that was just beginning. Later, an inordinate amount of stage time was allowed for a Chicago musical number by Catherine Zeta-Jones; and then Mark Wahlberg and the bear (voiced by MacFarlane) from MacFarlane’s summer hit Ted took to the stage. If all that wasn’t enough, the Chicago cast reunited to present two awards. While we are accustomed to excessive narcissism in Hollywood, but this was just too much “Hey, look at 
me!”
My favorite performance of the evening was when 76 year old Shirley Bassey brought the full house to their feet with her rendering of the great James Bond theme from Goldfinger. Her still powerful voice saved the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Bond franchise (after a weak montage), and later Adele delivered a soulful version of the Skyfall theme, the first Best Original Song winner from a Bond film.
Other good and not so good (I’ll leave it to you to categorize as you wish):
* Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) became the first 3 time Best Actor winner, and gave a very classy and gracious acceptance speech
* Barbra Streisand performed on the Oscar stage for the first time in 36 years
* Sally Field got her moment in the spotlight thanks to a strange segment paying tribute to her old TV show “The Flying Nun” (1967-70)
* Seth MacFarlane served up tasteless jokes on Chris Brown/Rhianna (neither a movie actor) and Abraham Lincoln (the President, not the movie).
* Quentin Tarantino paid tribute to actors and also proclaimed this the year of the writer
* Ang Lee showed again what a nice man he is, though he missed an opportunity to show support for Rhythm and Hues
* There was no shortage of Oscar winning men with hair longer than Alexander Gudunov in Die Hard (1988)
* Tommy Lee Jones smiled on camera less than 2 minutes into the ceremony
* The Sound Editing category produced just the 6th TIE in Oscar history
* Anne Hathaway purred “It came true” … the most contrived prepared line of the evening
* The producer of the Oscar winning Animated Short Film Paperman was ejected from the ceremony … for throwing paper airplanes (a key component in the film)
* Ben Affleck stated no matter how many times you get knocked down, what matters is getting back up … proof that millionaire movie stars think starring in a bad movie (Gigli) or two (Jersey Girl) or three (Daredevil) actually qualifies as getting knocked down.
* The first Oscars featuring sock monkeys in an integrated cockpit
* Nine year old Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) spoke for women everywhere when she admitted selecting her dress because “it was sparkly and fluffy” (she accessorized with a puppy purse!)
* Ann Rutherford starred in 60+ movies, including Gone with the Wind but didn’t warrant inclusion during the In Memoriam section
* Andy Griffith starred in one of Elia Kazan’s finest movies (A Face in the Crowd) but didn’t warrant inclusion during the In Memoriam section
* Harvey Weinstein flexed his enormous Hollywood power-player muscles and arranged for First Lady Michelle Obama to present the Best Picture Oscar from the White House … A perfect ending to a show that, at times, seemed to treat movies as an afterthought.
After The Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel ran a tribute/spoof of Life of Pi that featured singer Psy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZddNn22kOU
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Posted by David Ferguson
Every year I boldly offer up my Oscar predictions prior to the ceremony. This seems like a good year to rant a bit about my perception of the Academy Awards. As a guy who spends an inordinate amount of time in movie theatres, and then takes that obsession even further by spending hours writing about those movies, I’ll admit that I enjoy the Academy Awards ceremony as a celebration of movies. That said, what I find absurd is the “competition” and the ridiculous designation of “Best” in any category. I view movies as an art form and while I often select my FAVORITE movies, I find judging the “best” to be as ridiculous as selecting the best sculpture or painting. Admittedly, I feel the same about Olympic sports that are decided by a panel of judges. When judging is involved, then opinions are involved. When opinions are involved, then politics and personal vendettas become involved. Whatever your feelings toward Hollywood, you probably acknowledge no shortage of opinions, politics and vendettas in that world. To think that these emotional, artistic beings can be objective when voting is naïve at best. Enough of the rant, let’s discuss the movies!
It was a huge year at the box office. Six of the nine “Best Picture” nominations have gone over $100 million at the domestic box office, and another, Zero Dark Thirty, is almost there. As a comparison, of last year’s nominations, only The Help reached $100 million domestically. Most surprising, the indie hit Beasts of the Southern Wild actually provided the best financial return of all the nominees, as its $12.5 million box office is 8 times its measly production cost of only $1.5 million (over 700% return!). Life of Pi is approaching $600 million worldwide, while Les Miserables and Django Unchained are nearing $400 million. What’s really impressive about these numbers is that none of the nominated films cracked the Top 10 Worldwide Box Office for 2012 releases. Three movies eclipsed the $1 Billion mark: The Avengers, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises (plus, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will get there in the next couple of weeks). In all, 69 releases went over the $100 million mark in worldwide box office.
So let’s talk Oscars. There are a few “obvious” picks, but an unusually high number of categories that could go two or three different ways. There will be surprises and it’s a very challenging year for predictions; but that doesn’t frighten me … especially since I have nothing at stake. Some specifics of the Oscar politics this year include the scandals revolving around the three historical dramas: Lincoln, Argo, and Zero Dark Thirty. Somehow the dramatic license taken by Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty has created a storm of controversy for those films, while the Hollywood-created climax to Argo has it being adopted like a wet puppy. Similarly, a “Saturday Night Live” gag by Jennifer Lawrence escalated into a “she hates Jessica Chastain” campaign by the media. And in a bizarre twist, a stoic face amidst Golden Globes laughter has caused Tommy Lee Jones to be labeled as the guy who just doesn’t care enough. And none of those match the outrage voiced by critics when Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow did not receive Best Director nominations. Movie Critics are not known for their math skills. Nine Best Picture nominations and five Best Director nominations equates to four Directors who aren’t nominated despite their films being named. The “I guess the movie directed itself” argument is lame and misplaced. Still, there is a good chance that Argo wins Best Picture in a year when its director was not nominated. That’s only happened 3 previous times.
This year’s Oscar event is being hosted by the very talented and somewhat strange Seth MacFarlane. If you don’t know the name, he is the creative genius behind such money-makers as “Family Guy” and Ted. He has voiced an incredible number of characters including Peter, Brian and Stewie from “Family Guy” and Ted from Ted, and is even nominated for an Oscar for co-writing a song from Ted. MacFarlane’s humor can run to the crude and rude, but he is also a classically trained singer, so expect a song to go with his many voices. The program will also feature the first Academy Awards performance from Barbra Streisand in many years, but what’s much more exciting than all that is that the show will feature a 50th Anniversary James Bond tribute. All of the actors who have portrayed 007 have been invited (expect some no-shows), and as a special bonus the great Shirley Bassey is set to perform. She belted out my favorite all-time Bond theme with Goldfinger, as well as Diamonds are Forever and Moonraker.
As is my tradition, you will find both my PREDICTION and my PREFERENCE for each of the 24 categories.
Prediction: ARGO. Ben Affleck’s true life drama has swept the Guild’s: Producer, Director, Writer, and Screen Actor. Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook would be the only possible surprise winners, but anything other than Argo would actually be a shock!
Preference: Lincoln. It leads all films with twelve nominations, but its best chances are in Best Actor and Best Supporting categories. On the bright side, the DVD is being shipped to every middle school and high school in the United States.
Prediction: ANG LEE (Life of Pi). With Argo a likely winner and its director (Ben Affleck) not nominated, this category is wide open. Expect the beloved Ang Lee to edge out Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) and David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Preference: Ang Lee (Life of Pi) While Lincoln was my favorite movie of the year, Ang Lee directed the one movie that was based on an “unfilmable” book … and did so with breath-taking flair.
Prediction: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS. The one absolute this evening. DDL will become the first ever three time Oscar winner for Best Actor. Katherine Hepburn was a four time winner for Best Actress, but no man has won three times. His performance was transcendent.
Preference: Daniel Day-Lewis. I will say that Joaquin Phoenix was terrific in The Master and it’s wonderful that Bradley Cooper became a “real” actor in Silver Linings Playbook.
Prediction: JENNIFER LAWRENCE. This is a three way race that includes Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty). If the SNL gig didn’t cost Ms. Lawrence too many votes or Ms. Riva doesn’t capture too many “last chance” votes, the most exciting young actress working today will win her first Oscar. If Ms. Riva wins, she will be the oldest ever Oscar winner, and if Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) wins, she will be the youngest ever Oscar winner … though she would never win if Oscar voters had to correctly spell her first name without looking.
Preference: Jennifer Lawrence. I thoroughly enjoyed all five performances in this category, and in many other years, Naomi Watts (The Impossible) would have been the frontrunner.
Prediction: ROBERT DENIRO. The frontrunner since the nominations were announced has been Tommy Lee Jones, so this is a risky prediction. All five nominees have previously won an Oscar, but incredibly, it’s been 32 years since DeNiro last won. What a talented group!
Preference: Robert DeNiro or Christoph Waltz. It was thrilling to see DeNiro engaged again, and those who claim Waltz simply reprised his Inglourious Basterds character really missed out, though the argument could be made that Samuel L Jackson was the key support role for Django Unchained.
Prediction: ANNE HATHAWAY. Aside from Best Actor, this is probably the next sure thing. It’s remarkable to think she may win based on one scene and one song and one haircut. Some have Sally Field in an upset here (hope not!), and Amy Adams and Jacki Weaver are two of my favorite actresses. Unfortunately, neither of their nominated roles really pushed them.
Preference: Anne Hathaway. The song was outstanding, even though her couple of other scenes were very distracting for me. Still, her song is more impressive than Sally Field’s 25 pound weight gain.
Prediction: BRAVE. It’s a two film race between Brave and Wreck-it Ralph, and the demographic breakdown of the Academy leads me to believe the “safe” pick will win over the more impressive one, but this could go either way.
Preference: Frankenweenie. While this has been Tim Burton’s pet project for two decades, I have an emotional attachment to it as well. It’s a shame more people didn’t give it a chance. It’s a beautiful film with terrific characters.
Prediction: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN. A wonderful feel-good story of re-discovery and second chances that did very well at the box office and with its soundtrack. The movie has a surreal feel to it, and face it, we need upbeat stories coming out of Detroit these days. The Gatekeepers or How to Survive a Plague could sneak in, but it’s doubtful.
Preference: Searching for Sugarman.
Prediction: Mychael Danna (Life of Pi). Alexandre Desplat (Argo) and John Williams (Lincoln) could easily win, but much of Life of Pi depended on the score, while the others were more complimentary and traditional.
Preference: Mychael Danna (Life of Pi). It was nice to see Thomas Newman nominated for Skyfall because the score was crucial for that film as well.
Prediction: SKYFALL by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth. One of the best ever Bond themes and probably becomes the first to win. The original Les Miserables song was lame and I’d venture a guess that you don’t remember the other 3 nominations.
Preference: Skyfall by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth. Mostly I want this to win so that my son will have it stuck in his head for a few more days. Plus the first Bond song win as the Academy celebrates 50 years of Bond is just perfect.
Prediction: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi). Contrary to popular belief, this is not just a special effects movie. Mr. Miranda helped created a beautiful and visually seductive film. His competition is probably the great Roger Deakins (Skyfall) who inexplicably is 0 for 9 in Oscar nominations. It’s doubtful that the Academy would vote two Oscars for a Bond movie, but Deakins deserves recognition.
Preference: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi). Mr. Miranda earned it for the movie, but Deakins deserves it for his body of work.
Prediction: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock (Life of Pi). This movie is a technical marvel, and Lincoln also had some fantastic attention to detail.
Preference: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock (Life of Pi). They have earned it, but a Lincoln win would not be disappointing … which I can’t say about Les Miserables, Anna Karenina, or The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Prediction: Seamus McGarvey (Anna Karenina). Costume dramas are historically Academy favorites in this category, though Lincoln and Les Miserables could both be factors.
Preference: anything but Mirror Mirror. I have nightmares that Julia Roberts might make an appearance onstage if this one wins. (Yeah, I know … my dreams aren’t what they used to be)
Prediction: William Goldenberg (Argo) in a close one over Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg (yes, the same one) for Zero Dark Thirty. Mr. Goldenberg is a rock star editor.
Preference: Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg (Zero Dark Thirty). The bin Laden fortress sequence was one of the most compelling things I’ve ever seen on screen.
Prediction: Open Heart. Only like 9 people vote in this category, so three votes wins. Yes, I’m kidding, but predicting this category is a total guess.
Preference: a quick acceptance speech
Prediction: PAPERMAN by John Kahrs. This one has a nice behind the scenes production story but will have to take down Pixar and Disney and Maggie Simpson to win.
Preference: Head Over Heels by Timothy Reckart and Fodhia Cronin O’Reilly. Evidently I’m the only one who appreciated this one. Yep, I’m a rebel.
Prediction: CURFEW by Shawn Christensen in a race against Buzkashi Boys. Another tough category because so few voters watch them all.
Preference: Death of a Shadow by Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele. This one is even darker than Curfew. There was a real shortage of upbeat live action shorts this year.
Prediction: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell (Les Miserables). They deserve it for bravely working with Helena Bonham Carter’s hair and chopping off Anne Hathaway’s long locks. Hitchcock and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey leaned heavily (that’s not a fat joke) on appliances and prosthetics, while Les Mis created a distinct feel through traditional hair and make-up.
Preference: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell (Les Miserables).
Prediction: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton (Life of Pi) should eke out a win over five outstanding nominated films.
Preference: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton (Life of Pi).
Prediction: Andy Nelson, Mark Peterson, Simon Hayes (Les Miserables). How many other films featured live singing on set for the entire movie? Half a movie? A single scene? That’s right … none. Whether you enjoyed Russell Crowe’s singing or not, “live” singing for a quality movie is very impressive.
Preference: Andy Nelson, Mark Peterson, Simon Hayes (Les Miserables).
Prediction: LIFE OF PI. Should be a slam dunk. This is the most visually impressive film in quite some time. Plus, I don’t even like 3D and yet the 3D effects left me in awe.
Preference: Life of Pi.
Prediction: Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty). This one qualified as original because of the independent research conducted by Mr. Boal. Much of the film has Jessica Chastain sitting at a desk and yet the tension is palpable. That’s quality writing. And the two key tension-filled action sequences will have you squirming in your seat.
Preference: Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained). This is not my preference just because I love watching Tarantino speak in public, but this along with Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom were the most unique fiction seen on the silver screen this year.
Prediction: Chris Terrio (Argo). If it wins this award, the Best Picture Oscar is in the bag. If David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) pulls an upset, then Best Picture is up for grabs.
Preference: David Magee (Life of Pi). This book was deemed unfilmable for years, yet Magee drafted a script that allowed Ang Lee to bring the story to life. That’s a monumental achievement.
Prediction: AMOUR (Austria) in a narrow win over Kon-Tiki (Norway). Amour is also nominated for Best Picture, which is an unusual occurrence for a foreign film.
Preference: Amour (Austria). It’s a very tough movie to watch and even tougher to recommend, but director Michael Haneke delivers a stunning look at slow death. Doesn’t that make you want to rush out to see it?
*NOTE: I certainly don’t expect Life of Pi to win as many Oscars as I have predicted; however, I have based my predictions on the individual categories and not the total number of wins. In other words, I expect to be wrong, I’m just not sure in which categories.
If you would care to see my Best of 2012 list (yes, I realizeit’s hypocritical for me to use “Best”, but old habits are hard to break), here is the link: best of 2012
As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments and predictions!
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Posted by David Ferguson
Movie Reviews from the Dark 